Conventionally, in various fields, sieving devices have been used to select particles according to size or outer shape (hereinafter, these are referred to merely as shape). Larger particles to be selected include tablets, capsules and granulated granules and smaller ones including bio-based cells used in the fields of bio-related technology and medicine.
If, for example, cells are selected to make the shape uniform in this way, deviations of test conditions can be made smaller in various tests using such cells. The selected cells can be subjected to high-throughput screening (HTS) and the like.
However, an operation of selecting only objects shaped to be suitable for a test not only from tablets and capsules, but also from a plurality of cells having various shapes is very difficult.
In view of such a problem, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Japanese translation of PCT application) No. 2009-504161 discloses a method for manufacturing a platen having a desired thickness and formed with a plurality of through holes. The platen of Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Japanese translation of PCT application) No. 2009-504161 includes the plurality of through holes and selects cells by supporting cells and the like in the through holes. Further, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. H05-103658 discloses a selecting device for selecting capsules dyed with a dye. The selecting device of Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. H05-103658 includes a holding container having a mesh in which the capsules are to be arranged and a pipette for causing only the capsules satisfying conditions to pass through mesh openings by giving a water flow and selecting only such capsules by suction. Further, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2006-317345 discloses a particle capture device provided with a nozzle capable of reliably sucking one particle from a plurality of particles having different outer diameters without depending on outer diameters. The particle capture device of Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2006-317345 includes a vibration generator for lifting a plurality of precipitated particles by applying vibration, and the particles lifted by vibration are sucked by the nozzle for selection.